One of the things we love about our local church here in Japan is the way that they celebrate events that are important to Japanese culture but in a biblical way. The two most recent instances of this were the Shichi-Go-San (7-5-3) Day back in mid-November and New Year's Day.

Sam's first blessing ceremony

In November many Japanese celebrate their children by dressing them up in traditional clothes and going to the Shinto shrine for a special dedication ceremony. This is done on the years when girls are seven and three years old, and when boys are five. The ceremony is a combination of thankfulness for the child's life so far and asking for blessings for the future. Many people view it as simply a cultural tradition, but we believe that there is spiritual significance to these dedications before idols.

In response to this, our church has a Kodomo no Shukufuki Shiki, or a "Blessing the Children Ceremony," also in mid-November. Our pastor prays for each child by name, one-by-one, and the children's ministry volunteers prepare a special gift for each child. This year Sam got blessed twice (and double presents) because they did it at his Friday morning kids' group as well as on Sunday morning. We appreciate the extra prayers and special attention on the children that week. However, I can only imagine what it means for a Japanese Christian family who has gone against the culture by deciding not to participate in the Shinto ceremony to have something special for their kids at church that week!

New Year's is a major holiday for Japan, as well as the time of year when the most Japanese people go to the shrine to pray for blessings for the new year. Millions of people will crowd into different shrines for their first prayers of the new year.

Lines of people on New Year's Day at our local shrine

While many of our friends are visiting the shrine, our church has a special New Year's Day worship service. There is an excitement and energy in the air as everyone wishes each other akemashite omedetou gozaimasu, or happy new year. Our pastor often shares something reflective about the new year and we linger after the service to spend time with others who share our belief in the one true God.

New Year's worship service

Contextualization is a tricky thing, especially within a culture where so many cultural practices are so closely tied to religion. And Japan is not an easy place to go against the grain. We are thankful for a church that offers biblical alternatives to significant cultural events that our believing friends have chosen to refrain from participating in.

This past November as we walked to church the morning of the kids' blessing ceremony, my heart skipped a beat as I saw a family about a block ahead of us with a little girl all dressed up in a kimono. They were just coming up to our church, and I thought it was so special that they had gotten their daughter all decked out for the church ceremony. Then they continued walking past and I realized with a sinking heart that they were on the way to the shrine around the corner instead. Pray with us for the millions of Japanese who live all around us and who do not yet know the one true God.